Interesting. Seems like they’re trying to appeal to folks who are hungry or bored, but who don’t want to deal with the costs—in terms of calories and actual money—of a full-fledged fast-food meal. Like: It’s not time for lunch or dinner, but you want something, and you know you shouldn’t be wolfing down an entire #7, even if you do get it with a Diet Coke. But a snack? Why not? That’s easier to swallow, in every sense of the word. Lots of these snacks, however, are 300, 400-plus calories a pop.

It also seems like the idea of Taco Bell’s much-mocked fourth meal, or “forthmeal,” which one was supposed to ingest sometime in the stoner netherworld between dinner and breakfast, hasn’t really gone away. Fast-food joints are constantly trying to get diners to eat more, if not by prompting them to order more on each visit (i.e., super-sizing) than by prompting them to come in and order more often.

Speaking of Taco Bell, its latest appeal to low-budget snackers is the $2 Meal Deal, which includes a drink, small bag of Doritos, and a choice of one of four burritos, gorditas, or tacos.